Page 91 of Between the Boards
“Oh, älskling,” she says, using the Swedish word fordarling. “I think you know deep down how you feel about him, you just need to find the strength inside to tell him.”
“I think you’re right,” I say, playing with my fingers. “But what if it doesn’t work out?”
She smiles knowingly. “I had the same fear when I first started falling for your father.”
My brows jump up in surprise. “You did?”
“Mhm,” she nods. “But I remember thinking to myself,‘Maja, what if being afraid to tell him how you feel is what stops you from living your dream life?’,” she says. “So the very next day, I marched up to him and told him how I feel.”
“And what did he say?”
She smiles to herself as she recalls the memory. “He said he already knew, and that he loved me too. He’d been waiting for me to work up the courage to admit it to myself and to him.”
I take a deep sigh. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll lose him, and not just as a boyfriend but also as my best friend.”
She nods. “That’s true, but think of all the things you could gain if it does work out,” she replies. “Isn’t it worth the risk?”
And for the first time since realizing I’d quickly fallen in love with Colton Harrison, I finally feel brave enough to tell him.
THIRTY-ONE
COLTON
I didn’t sleepat all. The adrenaline from how the night unravelled with my parents, coupled with my anxiety about Kairi’s decision, kept me up until the sun began to peak through the horizon.
I climb out of bed, throw on an old riding outfit, and make my way downstairs. Everyone in the house is still asleep, but I can’t stay in here—I need fresh air. The sound of snoring coming from the living room catches my attention and I tiptoe to the archway entrance, finding my dad asleep there.
It’s not surprising; when I was a kid, my mother always kicked him to the couch for the night during an argument, refusing to sleep next to him.
I quietly make my way back through the kitchen, grabbing a carrot on the way out as I exit through the back door, the cool summer morning air greeting me like an old friend. I spot a collection of cowboy boots near the door, my old, half-worn ones still sitting pretty, so I slide my feet in and make my way down the porch.
The property looks perfectly maintained, thanks to Cooper, but I find myself walking toward the stable doors. They creak as I push them open, the familiar scent of hay, and horses joltmy memories of mornings spent here before surfing became everything to me.
The morning light spills through the wooden slats, and dust floats through the beams. Most of the stalls are occupied, horses shifting and snorting softly as they begin waking up, but my gaze lands on the chestnut gelding at the far end who’s so still it almost looks fake.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” I murmur.
Chestnut, who I named when I was a child, lifts his head at the sound of my voice. For a second, he just stares at me, ears twitching like he’s trying to place me after all this time, then he huffs loudly and nudges the stall door hard enough to rattle it.
A laugh escapes from my lips before I can stop it and I step closer.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. It took me long enough to come back.”
Chestnut huffs again, as if agreeing with me, and I reach into my pocket pulling out the carrot I grabbed from the kitchen. Chestnut practically inhales it from my palm within seconds before shoving his nose into my chest like he’s demanding more. I scratch the white patch between his eyes, smiling when he leans into the touch.
“You still love your snacks, huh?”
He stomps once in response, and I can’t help but smile.
I missed this; missed him; missed all of it.
Something about the familiar sounds of the barn waking up around me causes the tight feeling in my chest to loosen, and I can finally breathe easier for the first time since arriving here yesterday.
“Thought I heard someone sneaking around out here.”
I glance over my shoulder to find Cooper walking into the stable, two saddles balanced over his shoulders. He tosses one at me and I barely catch it before it smacks me in the face.
“The hell?”
